Complete Story
10/02/2023
OpenTech Alliance Toasts to 20 Roaring Years in Self Storage with 1920s-Themed Party
by Kimberly Robinson, OpenTech Alliance Director of Marketing Communications
OpenTech Alliance 20th Anniversary Celebration
AZSA was there to help our member OpenTech Alliance celebrate!
OpenTech Alliance Toasts to 20 Roaring Years in Self Storage with 1920s-Themed Party
Partygoers enjoyed 1920s-styled “giggle water,” appetizers, music, a photo booth, casino games and even a speakeasy that allowed entry by password only. Above all, the OpenTech team had a chance to reconnect with long-term customers on the special occasion.
The party did more than simply commemorate OpenTech’s anniversary: It also celebrated the industry that shaped it, the company’s teams, and the relationships built along the way.
“We wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for our loyal customers, dedicated team and much-appreciated industry vendors,” says Robert Chiti, Founder and CEO of OpenTech Alliance. “This party was just as much to honor them as it was to celebrate this milestone.”
Watch: Relationships Drive OpenTech’s Growth from Humble Beginnings to International Expansion
Today, OpenTech is 200+ employees strong and supports a portfolio of 17,400+ self-storage facilities across the world. But as most origin stories go, this is a far cry from their beginnings: five friends with a kiosk patent and a dream and an extra bay in a garage to build them both.
Before Chiti and OpenTech COO and President Mike Connolly even had a product in hand, they knew that the key to developing worthwhile technology was to align closely with operators’ needs. But by the time they were finished walking their first few trade show floors, they walked away with so much more.
“From the very beginning, owners, operators and other vendors have welcomed us to the industry with open arms,” Connolly recalls. “They have all become very close friends of ours.”
In fact, one of the first relationships formed was with Arizona Self-Storage Association’s (AZSA) very own Vice President, Ray McRae, who later became OpenTech’s first kiosk customer. That same kiosk is still in operation at a Storage Solutions property today. Watch him and other self-storage industry veterans recount their relationship with OpenTech and how its technology has transformed their self-storage operation.
From Self-Service Kiosks to Complete Self-Storage Solution Architects
A pioneer in self-storage technology, OpenTech transformed the industry with the very first self-storage kiosk, which enables operators to offer self-service options to their tenants. From there, the company quickly grew into the industry’s go-to partner for call center solutions, access control systems, online auction services, security monitoring and more.
One catalyst to the company’s growth was the decision to make all technology open, accessible for integration, and compatible even with their competitors’ technology – a mirror of the readiness to help among self-storage peers that makes the industry so welcoming, and a reinforcement of OpenTech’s commitment to do what is best for their customers.
Looking Ahead to the Next 20 Years
As OpenTech reflects on 20 years, they continue to turn an eye to the future – one where they will innovate new solutions to meet the self-storage industry’s changing needs, keeping true to their promise of “doing it right” and listening to their customers’ needs.
“We started OpenTech Alliance on these philosophies,” Chi concludes. “We never set out to be the biggest in the self storage industry. We just wanted to be a trusted partner. Listening to the customer is what enabled us to build our business and expand into the markets we’re in today. We have no plans to change that.”
For more information about OpenTech Alliance’s solutions, visit www.opentechalliance.com. To demo their technology and meet the teams that will partner with you, schedule a visit to the OpenTech Experience Center, conveniently based in Phoenix, AZ.
Robert A. Chiti, Founder and CEO, expresses pride in OpenTech's journey and emphasizes adaptability, technological pioneering, and customer-centricity as core principles.
